Blog

A near capacity crowd descended upon Family Sports in Centennial, CO on Sunday morning to get a first look at 2013 top pick Nathan MacKinnon, along with several other youngsters within the organization.

Players getting ready to run the next set of drills.

For MacKinnon, his first camp session was a mixed bag, as the former Halifax Moosehead suffered from bouts of nervousness early on. Yet, his tenacity was in effect and eventually he relaxed and let his skills speak for themselves as the morning drills came to an end.

Another 2013 draftee who made a even bigger impression was Chris Bigras. No doubts to his on-ice intelligence, Bigras met all challengers thrown at him during the drills and will be an intriguing player to watch when the main camp opens on Thursday. Safe to say the Avs brass were excited when they drafted him and with good reason.

Joey Hishon missed the first day of camp due to a groin injury. Hishon was visible on the bench in an Avs cap and hoodie.

Karl Stollery had a tough morning; consistently getting beat during the drills. Both MacKinnon and Joseph Blandisi made him look silly.

Overall, the early theme of camp was the strength of the goaltenders and defenemen. Few quality shots got through and those that did rarely found there way into the net.